Ordinary is Overrated
by stephanieebrown
Summary: College AU. It's a new academic year for Happy Harbor University and a new start for Artemis Crock, scholarship student, who finds herself almost instantly surrounded by idiots. Getting through the year is going to be asterous.


**Author's Note: Hello! So this is a project that I've taken up hesitantly. The chapters will be long (for me anyway) and most probably far between, updating wise. That said, I have a few things to point out before the first chapter begins.**

**This is AU - obviously - and because it is AU, the majority of the characters will be of the same age.**

**There will be pairings.**

**I own nothing.**

* * *

Chapter One:

It takes five minutes for the elevator to arrive. Five whole minutes for the traitorous nerves to set in and tingle down Artemis' spine as she tries to convince herself that _no, she's not nervous at all. Nope._

Well, maybe a little.

When the elevator finally comes to a halt and opens its doors with a distinct _ping_ akin to that of a microwave, Artemis pulls her suitcases (one in each hand) with her as she steps into the small compartment that smells faintly of sour milk.

Wrinkling her nose, she presses the button for the first floor and the doors shake shut. With a shuddering lurch, the elevator begins its ascent and Artemis takes a deep breath to calm herself. She missed breakfast this morning and her stomach pines for it's lost meal with audible growls that makes Artemis suddenly appreciate the fact that she is currently alone.

She's hardly the nervous type but leaving behind all you know (no matter how shitty that is) and moving someplace with people you've never met before has never really appealed to Artemis. _'Where's your sense of adventure?'_ her mom would say.

She wishes her mom where here right now.

After what seems like way too long, the elevator doors open again with a _ping_ and Artemis steps out into the empty hallway.

The laminated card attached to the small Yale key in her hand tells her that she's in room 1A. Looking around at the doors in view, she finds it directly to her left.

Taking longer than necessary to study the red, chipped paint on the door, Artemis sighs deeply and slots her key into the lock, twisting it, and pushes the door open.

Instantly, she is met with a loud chatter that dies instantly as she steps into the small corridor. Walking further into the room, the main area comes into view and Artemis' eyes are assaulted with a plethora of Redheads. There are at least six, but the one that stands out the most is the one with the pink skirt who is currently barreling her way straight towards her.

With a squeal of delight from the stranger and a protesting grunt from Artemis, the awkward embrace ends and suddenly Artemis is faced with a beaming and cheery grin.

This must be her roommate.

Her roomie's eyes are a rich brown and stand out against the freckles on her face and the auburn of her fringe. She's pretty and Artemis is suddenly very afraid of the curious amazement in the girl's expression.

After a moment or two of having all the Redheads stare at her, the girl before her lifts a hand to her head and smacks it lightly.

"Hello-o Megan! You must be my roommate!" she giggles.

_Oh God,_ Artemis realizes in horror. She has a catchphrase.

"I'm Megan, Megan Morse. What's your name?"

Artemis blinks a few times, stunned by Megan's (she pronounced it 'Muh-gan') bubbly personality, before she can string a reply together.

"Ar- Artemis Crock," she sticks a hand out for Megan to shake but it promptly gets crushed to her stomach as she's engulfed in another hug.

_So_ never getting used to that.

"These are my sisters!" Megan gestures to the other girls.

She starts listing off their names but Artemis isn't listening. She's busy wondering how anyone can survive with five siblings. Artemis herself can barely stand the one.

With plenty of cheerful waves and a few curtsies, the girly chatter erupts again as the Redheads file out of the room with excited goodbyes and hugs all around.

Artemis doesn't think she's ever been hugged so much in such a short space of time. Strangers or not.

The door opens and shuts again loudly, engulfing the room in silence. Grinning sheepishly, Megan shrugs before gesturing to the closest bed. The standard sheets provided (a dull red) have already been swapped for a sickening floral pink and a large glittery dream catcher hangs from the headboard.

"I hope you don't mind," she says, suddenly shy, "but I prefer sleeping closest to the door so-"

"It's cool," Artemis reassures her because, incidentally, she prefers to sleep furthest from the entrance herself.

_It must be fate._

With a snort, she pulls her suitcases to the end of the unoccupied bed before slumping down on the mattress. She's more tired than she'd previously thought and after what seems like an infinity, she rolls onto her side and see's Megan staring at her intently.

"So, Artemis," she begins, sitting down cross-legged on her own bed, "where are you from?"

Artemis swipes the hair from her eyes (It's greasy and in need of a wash - she notes) and sits up, her back against the headboard, before kicking off her boots and shrugging noncommittedly.

"Gotham," she says, before tacking on the next words out of politeness, "You?"

"Oh, I'm from Chicago initially but I moved to Happy Harbor a few years ago" she shrugs with a smile before jumping up excitedly, "hey - uh - I was gonna introduce myself to our new hall-mates. Wanna join?"

"Sure," Artemis smiles at the redhead's enthusiasm, "but I gotta shower first."

Her stomach growls.

"And grab something to eat."

* * *

Exiting the shower twenty minutes later, all clean and squeaky, Artemis pats her hair dry with her towel (because rubbing it dry is bad for your locks and Artemis takes great pride in her long, blonde tresses) then returns to the main room to find Megan humming whilst trying to cook up some pancakes on the brand new and swanky stove.

Boy, did Artemis get lucky with her roommate.

Megan looks up with a smile before she loads the pancakes (at least half a dozen) onto a plate and hands it to her.

"You said you needed something to eat so I thought I'd cook you up something while I was waiting!"

Surprised at the kind gesture, Artemis takes the plate before going to sit at the breakfast bar. Mumbling a thanks, Megan hands her the cutlery and she dives into the syrupy mess ravenously.

Megan has officially won her over.

When brunch is over, Artemis insists on unpacking first before meeting their new comrades so the next few hours are spent with Artemis and Megan turning their shared room into a home.

Or, as homey as a half hot-pink and half forest-green room can look.

The two girls cram their clothes into the shared wardrobe, Artemis' tank tops and jeans taking up infinitely less room than Megan's many stylish skirts and dresses. After that, Artemis hangs up a solitary poster over her bed, an 'Alice in Wonderland' poster she's had since forever and a bright green alarm clock shaped like that of a stylized arrow-head.

Meanwhile, Megan is busy hanging miniature dream-catchers (where does she get them all from?) over the small window next to Artemis' bed, the doorway leading to the bathroom and the main door ('You can never be too careful').

After Artemis has unpacked all she owns (and has unceremoniously shoved her suitcases under her bed where they will no longer see the light of day until December) she stands back to admire her new living space.  
It's not perfect. Far from it actually: there's a worrying crack above the window and a sink in the red carpet between the two beds (not to mention the leaky tap and noisy pipes in the bathroom) but Artemis is proud to say that this space is, at the very least, livable now.

Megan joins her in admiring their new home with a fond smile.

"It looks great doesn't it?" she gushes, "It's practically home already!"

Artemis wouldn't go that far but seeing her new roommate so happy brings a smile to her face and she tugs on her new friend's elbow gently.

"Let's go meet our hall-mates now, yeah?"

Megan beams.

* * *

As it turns out, Megan's sisters chose that moment to burst through the door again with a tall, strong-built, bald man in tow (Megan's dad..?) to say their final farewell (which lasts way too long and is way too soppy in her opinion). Having said goodbye to her mother before leaving for Happy Harbor on her own, Artemis finds herself wandering the campus grounds near their dorms where Megan promised to meet her after saying goodbye to her family.

After fifteen minutes, she's debating heading back up to her room when she hears her name being called. Whipping around, Artemis scans the thinning crowd of student and families for a familiar face. Thinking she'd imagined the whole thing, she goes back to inspecting her nails, leaning against the building wall.

"Artemis!"

Sure she heard correctly this time, Artemis stands up straighter and see's a black-haired guy approximately her age wave to her as he draws nearer with a Redheaded girl wheeling her way in tow.

Confused, the couple come to greet Artemis where she has rooted herself near the dorm-building with smiles on their faces. They look familiar - particularly the dude - but Artemis can't remember for the life of her who they are.

"Heya, Artemis," the black-haired one greets with a goofy grin.

Okay, so they (whoever they are) definitely know who _she_ is anyway - which just makes it all the more frustrating.

"Err, do I know you?" she asks.

The boys face puckers into a frown.

"Aw, c'mon 'Mis, it's me!"

_'Mis._

It's not a nickname that is usually used when it comes to her ('Arty' being the popular one) and now Artemis definitely knows she's meet these guys before.

"You really don't remember me?" his voice is full of mock hurt but Artemis can tell he really is disappointed.

Narrowing her eyes, Artemis skewers the boy before her with her sharp gaze, trying to pinpoint why she knows his face.

Suddenly, it hits her and her eyes widen in surprise.

"Grayson?"

Richard Grayson, ward and more recently adopted son of Bruce Wayne (her generous sponsor), had attended Gotham Academy with her. She had watched him grow from a nerdy know-it-all runt to a handsome man who climbed the social ladder like he could solve an equation. The two had been acquaintances at best, but the black-haired boy had always been kind to her.

"Knew you couldn't forget me!" he beams, showing off his teeth, and Artemis can see why he has become such a lady-magnet.

Her eyes find the pretty Redhead in the wheelchair beside Grayson and a rush of familiarity flashes through Artemis' mind once more.

"And you're Barbara, right?"

She hadn't known Barbara Gordon all that well. Only knowing what just about everybody else did: that she was the daughter of Gotham's police commissioner, James Gordon, and that she was Grayson's constant from day one. Artemis vaguely remembers never seeing one without the other.

Since when has she been wheelchair bound?

"Great to see you again, Artemis," she smiles, her eyes lighting up warmly.

"You too," she mumbles in reply, rubbing a hand at the back of her neck and looking anywhere but the chair.

It's a little embarrassing that the two before her know her whereas Artemis had forgotten them almost completely.

"So, Richard," Artemis begins, trying for cool and confident and failing completely, "what have you been up to then?"

"It's Dick," he says, and Artemis cringes as she remembers his unfortunate nickname, "just a few things here and there. Helping out with Bruce, y'know. Boring stuff. You?"

"Same," Artemis replies absently, "So, I guess we're hall-mates now, right?"

"Uh-huh," Barbara hums, "I've got the room closest to the elevator to myself 'cause, well-" she looks down at herself.

"-And I'm in the room next door!" Dick cuts in brightly, saving his friend from the unfortunate turn in conversation.

"Well - uh - I'm across the hall from you, Barbara!" Artemis smiles fondly at them.

Their dynamic is flawless.

"Please," Barbara requests, "call me Babs."

From then on, she does.

Deciding in the end to see what is holding Megan up, Artemis follows Dick and Barbara back into the building where they explain that they have just said goodbye to their families.

The ride up in the elevator is cramped, what with Barbara's chair and all (Artemis doesn't know if she'll be able to work up the courage to ask about that), but Artemis is just glad that she's found some familiar faces to relate to. Gothamites understand Gothamites. It's as simple as that.

When the elevator open with the ping that's already getting on her nerves, Artemis finds Megan chatting animatedly with two boys in the doorway of next door. Spotting her, Megan ushers her over with a grin plastered on her face.

"Artemis!" she exclaims before gesturing at her companions, "These are our next door neighbours - Kaldur Hyde* and Conner Kent!"

The two boys are both tall and strongly built but that's where their similarities end. Whereas Kaldur stands poised and polite, his dark skin a shocking contrast to his cyan eyes and pale buzz-cut hair. Artemis is momentarily distracted by the killer tattoos visible on his lower arms from under his red shirt before her eyes eventually make their way over to the other male.

Conner is well...hot for a lack of better words. With rosy skin, bright blue eyes and short black hair - he's definitely a looker.

By the way that Megan is oggling him obviously means that she thinks so too.

Kaldur shakes her outstretched hand formally and welcomes her to their humble abode (not in those words - obviously) and Conner gruffly grabs her hand for a strongshake and mutters a greeting.

Hmm.

"Who are your friends?" Megan asks, snapping her out of her musings.

"Oh, this is -"

"Dick Grayson, at your humble service," Dick bows before returning with a grin and an outstretched hand.

Barbara snorts at her friend's antics before wheeling herself forward, holding her own hand up.

"Barbara Gordon," she introduces herself with a smile.

"-Friends from Gotham," Artemis finishes, only slightly put out.

"That's great!" Megan exclaims, hugging the new arrivals firmly, "I'm Megan - Artemis' roommate!"

It seems that Megan's happy mood is infectious as soon the six of them are grinning (well, Conner does his best - A+ for effort right?).

"DICK?!" a voice exclaims from behind them.

Turning around, Artemis see's a guy standing just outside the elevator, suitcases in hand. A grin forms on his freckled face and he drops his bags and bounds towards them with surprising speed considering his stocky build.

Dick and the new guy hug each other tightly before they pull apart and conduct the strangest secret handshake Artemis has ever seen.

"Dude!" Dick exclaims jovially, "I thought you were going to Stanford?"

The newcomer smiles sheepishly and shakes his head.

"Change of plans," he admits before looking up excitedly, "Please tell me we're roomies?"

"Room 4A?" Dick asks hopefully.

"DUDE!" the Redhead jumps up and punches the air with his fist in triumph, "So totally cool!"

Dick laughs in agreement before turning towards the others again.

"Guys, this is my long time friend Wa-"

"Wally West, sugar," the newly named Wally winks at her.

Disgusted, Artemis frowns.

"What kind of name is _Wally_ exactly?"

Wally pouts, sends a quick glare her way, before moving over to Megan, lifting her hand up and kissing it.

"And who might you be?"

"Megan Morse, nice to meet you," Megan giggles.

Artemis turns her nose up at the exchange before Wally's eyes skid over to the only other female.

"Babs!" he exclaims before he then lift her hand to kiss it.

Barbara punches him in the arm once he gets close enough but there's an amused smirk on her face.

"Watch it, West," she warns lightheartedly.

"Ouch," Wally fake-pouts before introducing himself to Kaldur and Conner.

So six becomes seven and Dick and Wally disappear to sort their room out leaving the other five to crowd into Artemis and Megan's room (why their room was chosen, Artemis has no idea).

Kaldur sits calmly on the small sofa, Conner leans against the wall, Barbara stations herself next to the window and Artemis and Megan occupy their respective beds.

Having four strangers in the room with her is starting to become awkward (even though she kinda knows Babs) and so Megan (bless her soul) tries to engage them in conversation.

"So, guys," she begins, "do you know what classes you're taking yet?"

"I would like to continue my studies in Ancient History," says Kaldur, "I might yet choose a literature class also."

Artemis is more than a little intrigued by Kaldur's formality. What eighteen year-old (nineteen?) talks like that nowadays? Someone not from around here that's for sure.

Conner mumbles something about 'veterinary' which makes Artemis smile because she can totally see the dude cradling a tiny kitten from the cold. He kind of looks more like a dog person, actually but she could be wrong.

"I think the Human Biology and Comparative Literature courses look interesting," she speaks up, slightly embarrassed.

She's still not entirely sure what she wants to do with her life and choosing random classes might not help that but hey - if she got a scholarship to Happy Harbor University then she may as well enjoy it.

"I'm studying Criminology and Forensic Psychology," Barbara hums and attracts wide stares from the other inhabitants of the room, "what?"

"Nothing," Artemis smiles and is about to ask the girl a question when the door bursts open and two boisterous figures barrel into the room.

Wally and Dick make it to the center of the room before they collapse to the floor in raucous laughs and mad cackles.

"I'm afraid to ask," Barbara sighs in defeat as she face-palms.

"I'm not," Artemis speaks up, "What were you two doing exactly?"

It's difficult to hear a reply amid the giggles but she thinks she hears the words 'knock-and-run' mentioned. She groans. They are _so_ immature.

They are way to old to play 'knock and run '.

Artemis is _not_ jealous.

Well...

"HEY!" a yell is heard from the hallway as the boys failed to shut the door on their way in (not that is was shut before but Artemis is going to blame Wally for that anyway).

From the doorway emerges a petite girl with cropped hair, dark skin and some serious piercings. And she looks mad.

"Which one of you losers punched my roomie in the face playing ding-dong-ditch?"

While the other inhabitants of the room try to look innocent, Artemis smiles cruelly, exchanges a glance with Barbara, before pointing at the two dorks on the floor.

The new-girl's lips pucker as she tries desperately not to smile and keep her poker face.

She points an ominous and dramatic finger at Dick and Wally.

"You two better apologize 'cause she is seriously hurt and-"

"I'm fine, _really,_ Raquel," a reassuring voice says as another girl enters the room (what is this - a freaking common room or what?), "it didn't even hurt that much."

The new (newer?) arrival is pale and has sparkling blue eyes and wavy black hair. She's rubbing her nose absently which is an irregular shade of red.

"Sorry for walking in on you but my roommate has no manners," she apologizes, "I'm Zatanna by the way. Zatanna Zatara. This is Raquel."

Raquel folds her arms in annoyance but it's clear that she's only messing and soon the smile she's been trying so hard to hide breaks free.

"Room 5A," Raquel grins.

"We're hall-mates!" Megan exclaims joyfully before jumping up and embracing both new girls in quick but firm embraces.

"We're gonna be the greatest of friends, I just know it!"

* * *

They are introduced to their RA that evening (a dude who is so stoned that he introduces himself five times throughout his welcoming speech) who tells them not to party too loud...yada, yada, yada. Artemis doubts that anyone is listening. She knows that Dick and Wally certainly aren't - they're too busy scheming something sinister at the back of the group.

Megan takes everything as gospel truth with wide, excited eyes and a small smile. Artemis hopes that her roomie doesn't take the RA's slurred speech too seriously - she knows that nobody else is and would hate to be the only prudes of the hall.

After dinner, they wander aimlessly back to their dorm, their group of seven becoming nine with the recent inclusion of Raquel and Zatanna, and unanimously agree that they're not quite done with the day yet. Without discussing the matter, the nine of them end up in Megan and Artemis' room again (what is even with that?).

Artemis flops bonelessly on her bed. By now, she's exhausted and wants nothing more than to give in to unconsciousness. She doesn't, of course. Instead, she turns around and leans against the headboard, surveying her new friends with a lazy smile.

She reckons she's hit gold with this rag-tag bunch. Megan is sweet and caring - the perfect housekeeper and roommate - Artemis is glad to have her. Conner is the strong and silent one, handsome too, whilst Kaldur is the sensible one. Already, he is scolding Wally for rummaging through the kitchen cupboards, much to general amusement. Speaking of the devil, Wally is a menace who is obnoxious, oblivious and annoying. Almost unbearably so at that. Dick is funny and charming and so obviously infatuated with Barbara, who is sarcastic but kind (and most definitely _would _return her friend's feelings). Their newest members, Raquel, the sassy and no-nonsense girl and Zatanna, witty and bright, fit right in with the rest of them and Artemis feels that she's incredibly lucky to have ended up with them.

That is, until Megan tries to initiate a friendly group hug. A collective groan rings out (with a polite decline from Kaldur) but Dick seems all for the idea and grabs an unassuming Wally and grunting Conner to their feet from the couch. Megan beams and grabs Artemis' arm with surprising strength before dragging her too into the center of the room. Kaldur joins in hesitantly after a yank from Raquel and Zatanna laughs as she enters the fray willingly.  
They end up in an awkward half crouch bear-hug so that Barbara is included (much to her objections) and Artemis struggles to breathe as she's lodged between Conner (she's not complaining) and Wally (she's _so_ complaining).

Despite being short of breath and overheating slightly between a swath of sweaty teens, Artemis smiles.

_Jackpot._

* * *

***Kaldur's surname is Hyde because his name in the comics is Jackson Hyde and it sounds more 'normal' than being called Kaldur'ahm.**

**Read. _Enjoy. _Review**


End file.
